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FC Barcelona: Five of the Next Generation from La Masia

Futbol Club Barcelona’s famed youth academy at at La Masia de Can Planes welcomed its first intake of young talent during the Autumn of 1979, and has subsequently churned out an incredible list of stars in the following three decades.

Situated in the shadows of the club’s iconic Camp Nou stadium, the old farmhouse finally closed its doors last summer as the academy moved to a new multi-million euro, state of the art complex at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.

The move was a bold statement from the Catalan giants, affirming their credentials as the greatest producer of home-grown football talent in the history of the game – astonishing, in 2010 it had trained all three Ballon d’Or finalists, Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.

While the surroundings may be different from those that nurtured and educated the likes of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi, the dedication devoted to instilling their footballing philosophy on its future stars has remained a constant.

As these next generation of La Masia graduates look to establish themselves in the first team, Jack Brennan has been looking at five of the hopefuls he believes stand the best chance.